Vesicants (e.g., blistering agents) and other irritants (e.g., lacrimators) are known (e.g., for military purposes). Some vesicants are arsenic-based. Lewisite is an example of an arsenic-based vesicant and is a powerful respiratory irritant. Lewisite exists in at least three forms: 2-chlorovinylarsonous dichloride (designated L1), bis (2-chlorovinyl) arsinous chloride (designated L2), and tris (2-chlorovinyl) arsine (designated L3). Other examples of arsenic-based vesicants include diphenylchloroarsine (“DA”) phenyldichloroarsine (“PD”). A related arsenic-based compound, triphenylarsine (“TPA”) is an irritant. Additional examples of vesicants includes mustards (e.g., sulfur and nitrogen mustards).
Vesicants and other irritants are present in munitions (e.g., rockets), containers (e.g., drums or tanks), and other locations (e.g., contaminated land or water). In addition to toxic properties of the materials themselves, their surroundings can make them unsuitable for long-term storage or difficult to handle safely. For example, the munitions or containers may be prone to leakage or (for munitions) explosion.